(Updated) Police State America is giving EMS crews, tanks, Kevlar helmets and ballistic vests

image credit: Times Gazette

Soon EMS & firefighters everywhere will respond to a fire or accident wearing Kevlar helmets and ballistic vests!

'They' (DHS) claim having such gear available will help medical personnel get inside a shooting scene quicker to treat the wounded.

What's really scary is EMS & firefighters are conducting joint training sessions with police.

In June of this year I warned everyone how DHS has begun training EMS and firefighters for urban warfare in America:

DHS's new "First Responder Guide For Improving Survivability In IED or Active Shooter Incidents"
describes in great detail how firefighters and EMS personnel are being trained by DHS to work alongside law enforcement.

In it's "First Responder Guide" DHS claims active shooter incidents and IED's in America are increasing.

A collaborative group of public safety organizations—including fire, law enforcement, pre-hospital care, trauma care, and the military—convened in Hartford, Connecticut, in the spring of 2013 to develop consensus regarding strategies to increase survivability in mass-casualty shootings commonly referred as the Hartford Consensus.

New Hampshire is conducting its first joint training session with police and emergency medical services crews involving handling an active shooting scene and treating victims quicker.

“It goes over law enforcement tactics and the response to a shooter, as well as a new concept that is a best practice of what we call warm zone EMS, which is law enforcement securing the area in a building and allowing EMS to get into a building to treat patients quicker than waiting to search the whole building and deem the whole thing clear,” said Emily Martuscello, an exercise training officer with New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

How long before EMS/firefighters arrive at a vehicle accident or a fire in a tank wearing guns, Tasers and mace? It's already happening...

Updated 9/2/2015:

Chief Tim Holman of the German Township Fire Dept in Clark County, Ohio, is considering the merits of allowing concealed carry for ambulance crews. Chief Holman addressed the issue at last year's EMS World Expo in a presentation entitled, "Is It Time We Arm Our EMTs?" (please read the comments in the article)

Should Paramedics Carry Guns Deep In The Heart Of Texas?

Fire department may give firefighters, EMTs guns in face of rising violence.

Police shoot middle school kids during 'TEMS' active shooter drills with EMS and firefighters.

Ohio Medics Carrying Guns for Personal Protection:

"For about a year, the Bethel Township Fire and EMS Department has allowed first responders to carry concealed weapons on emergency calls as a way to protect themselves in an area where having law enforcement respond to calls in a timely manner when needed can be a challenge due to reduced staffing."

"The idea to let first responders carry weapons was hatched after budget cuts reduced the number of available officers in the response area served by the department, says Bethel Township Fire and EMS Department Chief Jacob King."

Proposal would allow Georgia firefighters to carry guns:

"Rep. Kevin Cooke, R-Carrollton, introduced a bill Thursday, called House Bill 807, co-signed by several other House members, to permit firefighters to carry firearms while on duty, if they wish, and if they have the permission of their superior officers."

Armed Tactical EMS Team Responds with SWAT in Hot Zones:

"Team members completed 40 hours of initial training from instructors Hammonds and Ashley Tordiff of the Collins Career Center Law Enforcement Academy, including courses in self-defense, legal aspects of tactical EMS, firearms recognition, advanced firearms, self-aid/buddy aid and an Ohio concealed carry permit class."

"The second round of training was a 60-hour advanced tactical EMS course through Mountain State Tactical Officers Association (MSTOA) that included instruction in room clearing, evidence preservation and firearms safety."

 

Training for the TEMS unit continues following certification and is ongoing. Every week the team participates in realistic simulations with the Lawrence County SWAT team.

Firefighters carrying guns on the job:

"There are several departments who allow selected staff to carry a firearm and most of those are Fire Marshals and are generally commissioned officers with the police powers to arrest and even those individuals get into trouble if they misuse their weapons."

Police in California want to use an armored tank or a medevac vehicle to respond to accidents, etc.

image credit:Contracostastimes

"About 100 people attended a meeting in San Leandro and people from the community expressed their concerns about a medevac vehicle the San Leandro Police Department says it wants to acquire."

"The armored vehicle was the subject of the special San Leandro City Council meeting. Police officers from the region said the vehicle would enable paramedics to help victims trapped in a hot zone, since EMS doesn't go into a hot zone unless it's been cleared. The medevac is able to withstand a rifle round, but is also equipped like an ambulance on the inside." 

What are Hot, Warm and Cool zones? DHS/police have created these three "zones"  to justify arming EMS & firefighters. Click here & here to read more.

Hot Zone (Care Under Fire):

Scoop and run
Life threatening bleeding
Safe and quick exit to warm zone.

Warm Zone (Tactical Field Care):

ABC's
C-Spine

Cool Zone:

Relative Safety
Staging Area

Back to the armored tank...

"Basically it's an ambulance with armor protection around it," said Lt. Randy Brand. "And it would basically be used to integrate fire and EMS and police personnel into a critical incident instead of bringing a regular ambulance."

"What this armored vehicle allows us to do is transport medical personnel in it , have them protected, have law enforcement extract them, get them into that immediate care much quicker," said Robert McManus of the San Leandro Police Department.

Who's behind equipping EMS/firefighters with Bearcat tanks? Of course it's DHS, San Leandro received a $200,000 DHS grant so they could buy it.

The next time you call 911 be prepared to welcome a six man "RESCUE TASK FORCE" complete with tactical gear into your home!

image credit: Greenvilleonline

A firefighter will be paired with a police officer “to give our rescue people security,” he said.“You're in that in-between zone where the scene has been secured and there could be a threat, but no on-going threat in that immediate” area, Goffstown Fire Chief Richard O'Brien O'Brien said.

“EMS and police form these teams called rescue task forces of two EMS and four police officers as their security detail and they'll make entry into a building and get to patients quicker to ultimately provide necessary care for life-theatening injuries,” she said.

More fire departments throughout the country are adding 'new equipment' or tactical gear to their firetrucks, according to Raymond Ballia, president of Body Armor Outlet.

Unless we rise up and speak out, this is the future of America, where EVERY cop, firefighter and ambulance driver will be patrolling our streets in tanks!

Windows 10 is full blown electronic tyranny

 

A new privacy feature in Windows 10 sends a weekly “activity update” to parents carrying all the details of children’s internet browsing and computer history. All the information is sent to the parents in an unsolicited email.

The new operating system, is a free upgrade for users of Windows XP, 7 and 8/8.1. The activity feature allows parents to get ‘weekly reports’ of absolutely everything their children are looking at online, even if the kids browse anonymously or try to clear it.

The activity feature is automatically switched on and allows parents to create child accounts with controls and restrictions put on them.

However, you can disable the feature. If you go onto your Family account, turn off ’email weekly reports to me’ and ‘activity reporting’, then it won’t be a problem. This allows children to keep their privacy but also at the same time does not allow them access to adult content.
http://www.techworm.net/2015/08/windows-10-privacy-feature-rats-kids-to-their-parents.html

Windows 10 spying on everything you do:

 

Windows 10 how to stop it spying on you & logging your activity:

 

Police want citizens to voluntarily give them their family photos and medical info.

'Smart911' is police state America's latest attempt at finding out EVERYTHING about its citizens!

"Smart911 is a free service used by public safety agencies across the country to enhance communication and response for their community.  It can be used by 9-1-1 agencies to quickly send first responders to the location of an emergency with more information, by emergency management to better plan for and respond to disasters, and by municipalities to send emergency notifications to their citizens."

Smart911 allows residents to create a free online profile and input their medical and health information, address, emergency contacts and other personal details!

What exactly are those personal details? Why your family pictures of course! Police will have access to photos of your children and their personal information and don't forget to send pics. of your pets too.

"... Smart911 is a national system that provides citizens with the ability to create safety profiles online holding personal data that is automatically displayed to 9-1-1 only during emergency calls. Information can include children’s photos, medical conditions, disabilities, home addresses of cellphone callers, or other rescue-related information..."

WHY on earth would you trust the police with your family photos?

"By creating a Safety Profile for your family, you are providing potentially life-saving information to public safety officials at the time when they need it most."

Why would you voluntarily give police all your personal info? Do you trust our government that much?

Rave Mobile Safety is profiting by pushing for 'Smart911' across the country all in the name of SAFETY, wink, wink. (click here to read more about Rave Mobile Safety)

Need I mention that DHS is behind this? Click here, here, & here to read more.

Chris McIntire, the director of the Marion County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management claims "Smart911 is going to help save lives" but won't say who's lives or at what expense.

Here's a revealing quote from Rave Mobile Safety's website about who's lives they really care about:

"When an emergency arises, a caller sometimes can’t communicate for various reasons. We can now have the home address of a mobile phone caller, and can approach the scene of an emergency knowing more about a household, including who lives there and even pets that may be in the home, which provides greater safety for our officers."
 

Did you catch that, it's not about police knowing the medical condition of a sick member of your household its about "providing greater safety for our officers"!

DHS/police are launching Smart911 across the country:

Is Smart911 trying to get every 9-1-1 center to use Smart911’s technology?

"Yes. Smart911 is working to make its technology and service available to all 9-1-1 centers across the country, and the coverage area is rapidly growing every day."

Arkansas was the first state to implement Smart911.
New York has begun implementing Smar911, click here & here to read more.
Culver City, was the first city in California to implement Smart911.
Medford, was the first city in Massachusetts to implement Smart911.
South Carolina County just launched its Smart 911 program.

To date Smart911 is in 40 states and growing:

"Smart911 serves more than 1,000 U.S. communities across 40 states" and is currently available in more than 350 municipalities across the country.

"The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) plans to launch a program that would provide first responders with medical, health and other information on callers to help improve response times".

  

“Anything that improves the communication with first responders is a good thing,” said Aaron Landry, Chair of the Ala Moana/Kakaako Neighborhood Board.

What a total cop-out (couldn't resist the pun). So Mr. Landry would have us believe giving police our entire medical history is a good thing. The American police state is growing more brazen by the day.

What you're not being told is your address is already been given a color-coded threat assessment based on your pizza delivery phone calls, friends and much more!
  
Your kids from kindergarten through college are being given THREAT ASSESSMENTS. And they're being given MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS.
 

How much will installing Smart911 cost us? That's a state secret (I'm joking).

HPD Capt. Rade Vanic said police hope to launch the optional service next month. The department did not provide a cost for the program.

Of course they didn't provide a cost for the program, how much would you like to bet it's paid for by a DHS grant/our tax dollars?

How long do you think it will take, before it becomes a federal law requiring EVERYONE to provide their medical info. and pictures to police? Anyone willing to bet its only 2-5 years away from becoming a reality?
 

Private citizens can ticket and arrest anyone for traffic violations in Tennessee

The American police state keeps growing, private citizens can stop, ticket and arrest anyone for a traffic violation:

The Newspaper:

The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday decided to emphasize the private citizen's right to pull over other motorists, even for minor traffic infractions. A three-judge panel reviewed the September 2, 2012 incident in which Pigeon Forge Police Officer Jeremy Croce stopped Steven Roy Wilburn outside of his jurisdiction.

Though he did not realize it, the officer was not in Pigeon Forge -- best known as the home of Dollywood -- when he saw a lane violation. He had crossed into the neighboring town of Sevierville. The offense he witnessed was a Class C misdemeanor that is usually punished with a maximum fine of $50.

 "As a private citizen, Officer Croce was authorized to stop and arrest defendant for these traffic violations." Judge Timothy L. Easter wrote for the unanimous panel. "Officer Croce's subjective belief that he was acting as a police officer in Sevierville rather than as a private citizen is immaterial."

To operate under his authority as a city police officer, Officer Croce would have had to receive permission from Sevierville. He never asked for permission because he was not actually sure how far within that city's limits he had driven. Officer Croce explained that he waited to pull Wilburn over because he wanted to give him "the benefit of the doubt" and ensure his weaving was not simply the result of a momentary lapse of concentration. At the suppression hearing, Officer Croce admitted that he did not develop any reasonable suspicion of a traffic violation until he had entered the Sevierville city limits.

Once stopped, however, it was clear Wilburn was driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) from the odor of alcohol on his breath, his bloodshot eyes and slowed reactions. The allegations were backed up with dashcam video.

"Officer Croce was also authorized, as a private citizen, to arrest defendant for DUI," Judge Easter ruled.

Tennessee law allows one private citizen to arrest another not just for the commission of a felony, but also for "a public offense committed in the arresting person's presence." The appellate judges cited a number of precedents that interpret a public offense to include misdemeanors, including traffic violations. For that reason, the court upheld Wilburn's DUI conviction.

In Ohio, police can stop you because your car is loud and fast looking:

Daniyar Tuyakbayev, 30, found this out after driving in San Fransisco's Presidio neighborhood about a half-hour before midnight on January 18, 2015. US Park Police Officer Eric Cole was standing behind a bus stop at Lincoln Boulevard and Pershing Drive, having pulled over another motorist. He says he heard the loud roar of Tuyakbayev's 2014 Ford Mustang engine and, from a hundred yards away, he guessed it was traveling 20 MPH over the 30 MPH speed limit. He waved his flashlight, ordering Tuyakbayev to pull over.

"I was driving at the posted 30 miles per hour speed limit, and I did not exceed it," Tuyakbayev testified.

US Magistrate Judge Maria-Elena James decided instead to believe the Park Police officer when he said the Mustang looked and sounded like it was going really fast.

"Officer Cole's belief that defendant was speeding was not premised on a mere hunch, but rather, on Officer Cole's observations that he heard defendant's loud engine accelerating towards him and observed defendant's car traveling at a very high rate of speed," Judge James wrote. "Officer Cole also attests he was trained and certified to visually and accurately estimate the speed of a moving vehicle as part of his law enforcement duties."

American journalists considered enemies of the state

What could possibly go wrong? The Department of Defense (DOD) claims this only applies to journalists sympathizing or cooperating with the enemy.

Please read on...

From the Huffington Post:

The Law of War manual, updated to apply for the first time to all branches of the military, contains a vaguely worded provision that military commanders could interpret broadly, experts in military law and journalism say. Commanders could ask journalists to leave military bases or detain journalists for any number of perceived offenses.

"In general, journalists are civilians," the 1,180 page manual says, but it adds that "journalists may be members of the armed forces, persons authorized to accompany the armed forces, or unprivileged belligerents."

A person deemed "unprivileged belligerent" is not entitled to the rights afforded by the Geneva Convention so a commander could restrict from certain coverage areas or even hold indefinitely without charges any reporter considered an "unprivileged belligerent."

Ken Lee, an ex-Marine and military lawyer who specializes in "law of war" issues and is now in private practice, said it was worrisome that the detention of a journalist could come down to a commander's interpretation of the law.

If a reporter writes an unflattering story, "does this give a commander the impetus to say, now you're an unprivileged belligerent? I would hope not," Lee said.

 

"I'm troubled by the label 'unprivileged belligerents,' which seems particularly hostile," said Kathleen Carroll, AP's executive editor. "It sounds much too easy to slap that label on a journalist if you don't like their work, a convenient tool for those who want to fight wars without any outside scrutiny."

Journalists working for The Associated Press and other news organizations have been detained or thrown out of embed arrangements for stories, video or photographs that the military found unflattering, even before the new manual was published on June 21. But the manual has raised concerns that commanders would feel even more free to find fault with reporting — or that other governments might use the U.S. rules to mistreat reporters working on their soil.

The Law of War manual pulls together all international laws on war applicable to the U.S. armed forces, and is designed as a reference guide for the military.

Why should this concern you? It's not like our police arrest journalists and photographers right? Wrong!

Not only do America's police treat journalists with contempt, they beat and arrest them, below are a few examples:

Journalists sue St. Louis County police for alleged battery, false arrest.
Journalist says NYPD beat and illegally arrested him during OWS march.
NYPD admits to arresting journalists for covering OWS.
Boston Police Commissioner wants to criminalize the recording of cops in public.
Boston police threaten to arrest journalists for recording Urban Shield drill.

And checkout "Photography Is Not A Crime" website that's been documenting police abuse of photographers and journalists for years.

If you've been paying attention the DOD and DHS have created a militarized police force in America. They're so intertwined with our police, you'd have to have blinders on and or stay indoors not see it.

Our police use the SAME tactics as our military and are trained on military bases across the country. If you doubt it, do a quick search for "Jade Helm" many former armed forces personnel receive preferential employment. Not to mention many of America's police chiefs have military backgrounds.

America's police look more like frontline combat troops and in some cases are better equipped than our National Guard and soldiers thanks to the DOD's 1033 program:

Rafael Rivera – who served in the U.S. Army for seven years – writes:

The police in Ferguson have better armor and weaponry than my men and I did in the middle of a war. And Ferguson isn’t alone — police departments across the US are armed for war.

Senator McCaskill pointed out that in some places local police departments are more heavily armed than the National Guard.

Someone identifying himself as an 82nd Airborne Army veteran, observing the Ferguson police scene, commented that “We rolled lighter than that in an actual warzone”

Many combat veterans have since pointed out that the SWAT officers are more heavily armed and outfitted than they themselves were while patrolling the streets of Iraq or Afghanistan.

"What we're seeing here is a gaggle of cops wearing more elite killing gear than your average squad leader leading a foot patrol through the most hostile sands or hills of Afghanistan. They are equipped with Kevlar helmets, assault-friendly gas masks, combat gloves and knee pads (all four of them), woodland Marine Pattern utility trousers, tactical body armor vests, about 120 to 180 rounds for each shooter, semiautomatic pistols attached to their thighs, disposable handcuff restraints hanging from their vests, close-quarter-battle receivers for their M4 carbine rifles and Advanced Combat Optical Gunsights. In other words, they're itching for a fight. A big one. It's a well-known horror that the US military greets foreign peoples in this fashion as our politicians preach freedom, democracy and peace. It's an abomination that the police greet black communities in the States with the same trigger-happy posture. Especially on the occasion of an unarmed teen's death by cop."

TSA airport style searches on all Amtrak trains!

Our government is stepping up its plans to search EVERYONE, ANYWHERE, whether you're travelling by air, rail, ferry or bus.

Beginning this week and almost four years since writers warned Americans that our government wants to search people on trains, its finally become a reality!

The Baltimore Sun reported Amtrak will begin searching all passengers: “Passengers failing to consent to security procedures will be denied access to trains.”

“I don’t know if that level of security we have at airports would be practical at train stations,” said Vernon Herron, University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security. “Washington DC and New York City—our financial district and our seat of power in Washington DC. Those types of targets are always going to be on their radar.”

What does this mean for anyone taking a government train (Amtrak)? It means EVERYONE will be subjected to airline style boarding procedures. In Europe, you won’t find pre-boarding ticket checks on any international intercity train line except Eurostar (between London and Paris, for border control purposes). By importing the security theater of air travel, DHS, sorry I mean Amtrak will treat EVERYONE like a suspected terrorist!

Just who will be conducting these security procedures?  Why, Amtrak employees and police of course. If an Amtrak employee questions you, its because they're trained to suspect EVERYONE. 

Since 2010 Amtrak's' Blue Campaign' has been used as an excuse to identify suspected human traffickers.

Men — traveling with children will be subject to enhanced scrutiny. Perhaps Amtrak's employees will engage children in conversation or demand a statement of their relationship status with the accompanying adults.

"Over 8,000 Amtrak employees overtly or covertly examine passengers for the validity of their identification, their level of stress, how they interact, and their conversations."

On July 25, 2012, DHS held an event to update stakeholders on recent activities and to provide a platform for participants to offer individual feedback regarding the department’s Blue Campaign efforts. (This is all about profit & surveillance)

Don't be alarmed if you see men in tactical gear with an attack dog approaching you, it's for your safety, wink, wink!

Those men in black fatigues are Amtrak's police or "Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response" (VIPR) teams which conduct baggage searches and interrogate anyone. VIPER has a nice ring to it doesn't it? Oops, sorry I meant VIPR no government snakes here, RIGHT?

Herron points out DHS deploys VIPR teams, which include agents in uniform and bomb-sniffing dogs and agents out of uniform, designed to blend in with passengers.

Below is a picture of a VIPR team:

image credit: Tullahoma news

In 2011 the TSA news blog reported VIPR teams conducted 8,000 unwarranted searches of Americans on buses, trains, ferries and even highways!

Doing the math that means, since 2011 VIPR teams have conducted over 32,000+ unwarranted searches!

Just how bad are Amtrak's VIPR teams? Click the following links to read more:

- Amtrak/DHS is spying on passengers and letting police access records without warrants.

- Amtrak's B.S. 'suspicious activity list' where everyone's a suspect

- Amtrak's' VIPR teams question attorney who had a nuclear stress test at hospital.

- VIPR searches are growing as our rights are shrinking.

- Amtrak passengers share more stories of harassment.

- How the DEA harasses Amtrak passengers.

 

DHS/Amtrak wants citizens to spy on innocent passengers:

 

“Citizens have to be the extra eyes and ears of public officials,” Herron said.

In other words, DHS/Amtrak wants Americans to spy on each other, you know since we're all terrorists!

"What the powers-that-be understand--and Americans remain oblivious to--is the fact that by constantly pushing the envelope and testing the limits of what Americans will tolerate, the government is thus able to ratchet up the level of intrusiveness that Americans consider reasonable John Rutherford said."

There are numerous private railroad police in America that will soon be searching Americans for no reason other than you MIGHT be a terrorist.

Private rail lines CSXT, BNSF, KCS, UP, and others maintain their own private police. The Amtrak Police is the largest with more than 450 sworn officers

FYI, railroad police even have 'Council Charter Homeland Security Memberships'.

Private railroad police officers licensed in every state, have been accused of physical assaults, racial profiling and harassment according to lawsuits, interviews and court records. The records and interviews show that there have been numerous complaints and dozens of lawsuits filed against railroad police officers in recent years.

"Most states have a statute that authorizes railroad corporations to hire and appoint railroad police officers. Generally, these laws are found in the railroad or public utility sections of a state’s consolidated statutes. A railroad police commission is issued by a specific state agency, usually from the state police but sometimes from the governor’s office. The remaining state code sections regarding railroad police often require the employing corporations to bear all liability; the officers to take an oath and wear a badge indicating that they serve as railroad police officers for a specific railroad corporation; and local police agencies to accept persons arrested by railroad police."

"If the requirement to accept prisoners is not explicitly stated in the railroad police statute, the police powers conferred upon sworn and commissioned railroad police officers in the enabling law will convey that they possess the same legal authority as state and local police or peace officers."

Railroad police are trained using the same standards as local police departments, right? WRONG!

“Once we do a background check, we pass the information on to the governor’s office which approves or denies the applicant,” said Terry Baker, training and research manager at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. “That’s the full extent of our dealings with railroad police.”

Anyone who passes a background check can become a train cop and then go on to train SWAT teams nationwide!

Privately run 'secret' railroad police have trained 85 SWAT teams in 13 states!

America's SWAT teams and police are being trained by privately run police who's only requirement is to pass a background check! What kind of psychopath's are training police officers and SWAT teams across America?

It's unknown if railroad police officers receive any psychological testing. At least DHS run police departments force new cops to undergo some psychological testing, see below:

"Right now we give cops a test called the MMPI-2, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. So we pretty much determine that they're not psychopaths. I think that's a low bar." Former Police Chief  John DeCarlo said.

It's not just national train police, it's local commuter train police that are abusing our civil rights with immunity:

See Something, Say Something—Unless It's MBTA Police Brutality:
 
"In March 2014, Mary Holmes was at the Dudley Square MBTA station in Roxbury when she saw Officer Jennifer Garvey scream at and shove an older Black woman. The situation worried Ms. Holmes so she tried to calm the woman and asked Officer Garvey to stop being so aggressive. When these efforts failed, she called 9-1-1 for help. In response, Officer Garvey and her partner, Officer Alfred Trinh, pepper-sprayed Ms. Holmes in the face, beat her with a metal baton, and arrested her, handcuffing her hands behind her back while forcing her to the ground."

“The MBTA has signs everywhere telling people ‘if you see something, say something.’ This is exactly what Ms. Holmes did. She saw something wrong, and she spoke out. We need more people to follow Ms. Holmes’ lead and do the same,” said Jessie Rossman, staff attorney at the ACLU of Massachusetts. “Unfortunately, the officers’ reactions are part of a broader, troubling trend, in which police officers mistreat individuals exercising their constitutional rights. It has to stop.”

DHS works with movie theaters to search your handbags and backpacks

image credit: Pennlive

The Regal Entertainment Group – the nation’s largest movie theater chain just added a bag and purse check policy as a so-called security measure in some of its theaters, which undoubtedly will include every theater soon!

Regal Entertainment's website uses public safety as a reason to ILLEGALLY search everyone's handbag, backpacks etc.

"Security issues have become a daily part of our lives in America. Regal Entertainment Group wants our customers and staff to feel comfortable and safe when visiting or working in our theatres. To ensure the safety of our guests and employees, backpacks and bags of any kind are subject to inspection prior to admission. We acknowledge that this procedure can cause some inconvenience and that it is not without flaws, but hope these are minor in comparison to increased safety."

Jim Davis, a public safety expert who served as Homeland Security advisor to Governor John Hickenlooper promises soon EVERYONE will be TSA searched at movie theaters:.

“There is no question in my mind that there are meetings going on as we speak, talking about improving security and associated liability. I think it will take time to happen…By necessity now – from a liability standpoint, movie theaters are going to have to step up.”

On July 29th., I reported how AMC and SMG movie theaters are working with DHS to establish TSA checkpoint searches at movie theaters across the country! 

Don't think TSA security searches are coming to a theater near you? Senator Tony Avella is working on legislation to introduce metal detectors at theaters, malls and sports stadiums.

AMC Theaters have been running a "safety" message which says: "If you happen to see any suspiciously strange characters or bad agendas, report them to our crew."

Click here to see the AMC "safety" message.

Showcase Cinemas, an international movie theater primarily in the Northeast, also instituted bag inspections earlier this month. The Los Angeles Times also reported that AMC, gives its managers the discretion to inspect patrons’ bags on a case-by-case basis.

SMG has what the company calls “highly trained officers” at each theater! SMG also makes it a point to hire military vets and ex- cops.

In what's become 'standard operating procedure' for the CIA/DHS run mass-media they found TWO movie-goers who welcome being searched at movie theaters:

"I'm all for checking bags if it makes it safe for everybody else in the cinema, and with all the previous incidents we've had with the cinema, it would make it a much safer place for everybody," said movie-goer Barry Cathcart

"I think for the safety, I don't think it's a big deal. Shouldn't be bringing in anything that they don't want people to bring anyway, so, I think as long as it keeps us safe, it's a great thing," movie-goer Rob Tuma said.

image credit: Pennlive

How the CIA/DHS controls our mass media:

Former CIA employee Barry Eisler explains why you shouldn't trust the CIA, click here to listen to the podcast.

Remember there are SIX corporations that control America's media.

"Among the executives who lent their cooperation to the Agency were Williarn Paley of the Columbia Broadcasting System, Henry Luce of Tirne Inc., Arthur Hays Sulzberger of the New York Times, Barry Bingham Sr. of the LouisviIle Courier‑Journal, and James Copley of the Copley News Service. Other organizations which cooperated with the CIA include the American Broadcasting Company, the National Broadcasting Company, the Associated Press, United Press International, Reuters, Hearst Newspapers, Scripps‑Howard, Newsweek magazine, the Mutual Broadcasting System, the Miami Herald and the old Saturday Evening Post and New York Herald‑Tribune. By far the most valuable of these associations, according to CIA officials, have been with the New York Times, CBS and Time Inc."

Click here to find out more about the "CIA and the media: 50 facts the world needs to know".

As Glenn Greenwald said the mass media has no credibility and is completely full of lies.

You’re watching Pentagon propaganda: “American Idol,” “Ice Road Truckers” and the truth about your favorite shows:

“The sheer scale of the Army and the Air Force’s involvement in TV shows, particularly reality TV shows, is the most remarkable thing about these files. ‘American Idol,’ ‘The X-Factor,’ ‘Masterchef,’ ‘Cupcake Wars,’ numerous Oprah Winfrey shows, ‘Ice Road Truckers,’ ‘Battlefield Priests,’ ‘America’s Got Talent,’ ‘Hawaii Five-O,’ lots of BBC, History Channel and National Geographic documentaries, ‘War Dogs,’ ‘Big Kitchens’ — the list is almost endless. Alongside these shows are blockbuster movies like Godzilla, Transformers, Aloha and Superman: Man of Steel.”

What you're not being told is American movie producers have CLOSE ties to DHS:

"It is Department of Homeland Security policy to use the broad authority granted in the Homeland Security Act of 2002, to further the Department’s missions, particularly with respect to disseminating the Department’s homeland security message. This directive sets Departmental policy for interaction between the Department and non-government, entertainment-oriented motion picture, television, advertising, video and multimedia productions/enterprises."

DHS Multimedia Agreement: "The memorandum of agreement setting forth the specific terms and conditions of the relationship between the producer, studio, network or production company and DHS."

Click here, here & here to read more.

Movies and T.V. shows have U.S. Army ratings:

The U.S. Army and Air Force public relations offices have responded to a Freedom of Information Act request by releasing huge lists of movies and television shows that they have assessed and, at least in many cases, sought to influence. Here’s the Army’s PDF. Here’s the Air Force’s PDF.

The shows and films, foreign and U.S. made, aimed at foreign and U.S. audiences, including documentaries and dramas and talk shows and “reality” TV, cross every genre from those obviously related to war to those with little discernable connection to it.

Films show up in theaters without any notice that they have been influenced by the Army or Air Force or other branch of the military. And they carry ratings like G, PG, PG-13, or R. But the Army’s until-now-secret assessments of films also give them ratings. Every rating is positive and cryptic.

They include:

• Supports Building Resiliency,
• Supports Restoring Balance,
• Supports Maintaining our Combat Edge,
• Supports Adapting Our Institutions,
• Supports Modernizing Our Force.

As if on cue a company with close ties to DHS claims American moviegoers want to be searched before entering a movie! According to the C4 consumer research firm:

“Moviegoers are telling us that they’re starting to see the value of security,” said Ben Spergel, executive vice president of consumer insights at C4. “Hopefully they’re beginning to value it the same amount that they value Imax or 3D, where they recognize that you have to pay more for a better experience. You may also have to pay more for a safer experience.”

C4's Board of Directors has close ties to DHS:

C4's Reed Hunt is a former chairman of the FCC which works for DHS.

C4's Steve Wozniak co founder of Apple gave the NSA, DHS etc., full access to every iPhone users account and fingerprints! Click here, here & here to read more.

C4's Vice Chairman Gerry Byrne has been seen at the "Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation 2012 Tom Ridge Homeland Security Awards".

C4's Paul Hazen is chairman & CEO of Wells Fargo which has close ties to DHS. Click here, here & here to read more.

Wells Fargo until 2012 was making money on America's private prison system and immigrant detentions!

After initially selling off around 33% of its holdings in GEO Group stock in 2012, Wells Fargo continued to divest from GEO in the mutual funds it controlled. As of June 30, 2014, the bank owned 7,425 shares of GEO valued at over $272,000; previously, it had owned 4 million shares. However, Wells Fargo has steadily increased its stake in CCA and owned 1.08 million shares in the company valued at $36.6 million as of June 30, 2014.

Peter Cervantes-Gautschi, executive director of Enlace, a non-profit organization that has convened a National Private Prison Divestment Campaign, congratulated the bank on “its well-advised decision to dump the private prison stock” in GEO Group. He called on the financial industry giant to “rid itself of the rest of its private prison holdings and to cease financing private prison companies.”

We're being spied on just about everywhere you can imagine, where does it end? Back in November of 2014 I reported how shopping malls, colleges & parking companies are using license plate readers to spy on you.

If we don't stand up and stop this blatant abuse of our civil rights soon, EVERYONE will be searched at supermarkets, departments stores, restaurants and movie theaters.

Two week vacation

Going on a two week vacation, be back August 24th.

Predictive Policing Bulls**t: Boston Police Commissioner claims new marijuana initiatives will lead to home invasions

Boston Police Commissioner William Evans:

“A lot of home invasions seem to revolve around someone smoking marijuana, young college kids tying to supplement their income,” he said. “We get a half-dozen every year where they invite regular city kids over and next thing you know, their door is getting knocked down and they are getting robbed.”

“I worry about someone picking up their (medical marijuana) supply, walking two blocks down the street, and someone else there waiting to rob them,” Evans said.

Boston's police commissioner says there are SIX home invasions a year in Boston that MIGHT, have been related to marijuana. But now because carrying less than one ounce is legal in Mass. EVERYONE should panic and brace themselves for a major crime wave!

This is known as predictive policing, fear-mongering B*llsh*t! It's kind of like police chiefs claiming there's an increase in mass shootings nationwide and America should get rid of the Second Amendment.

The Congressional Research Service just released a report on mass shootings and proved there's no rise in mass shooting in America! Click here to read more.

What Evans isn't telling a gullible public is the International Assoc. of Chiefs of Police are against legalizing marijuana. Would you be surprised to learn they have close ties to DHS? Click here, here & here to find out more.

Another organization called the Major Cities Chiefs Association is also against legalizing marijuana which has close ties to DHS. Click here, here & here to find out more.

In Mass. anyone who is found with less than an ounce can be ticketed. Which is a way for the state to make money off of legalized marijuana. Soon there will three medical marijuana dispensaries in Boston.

Boston mayor Martin Walsh also claims crime will rise if pot is legalized:

I just think it would be a mistake to legalize marijuana in Massachusetts,” said Walsh. “I’ve seen too many lives ruined by starting to smoke weed and then, eventually, going to other types of drugs.”

Mayor Walsh's claims that marijuana is a gateway drug is a lie, numerous studies have proven pot is not a gateway drug. Click here, here & here to read more.

What Walsh isn't telling a gullible public is the United States Conference of Mayors have created a " Marijuana Majority Mayors Initiative" which is against legalized marijuana.

Mayor Walsh says he will oppose any ballot question that legalize marijuana.

Mass. Governor Charlie Baker, Attorney General Maura Healey, and Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley all oppose legalization, but none appears keen to lead the charge against the expected 2016 ballot question to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

What the public isn't being told is our justice system doesn't want to lose the money that pot arrests bring to each city, town and state:

According to the FBI one marijuana arrest occurs every 42 SECONDS in the U.S.

According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting data, there were a total of 1.5 million drug arrests made nationwide in 2011, and out of those arrests, about 750,000 were for marijuana (just under half, 49.5 percent) -- that's one marijuana arrest every 42 seconds and one drug arrest every 21 seconds in the U.S

How much revenue is generated by marijuana arrests? Our government keeps that a secret but an educated guess is in the hundreds of millions if not billions after court costs, attorney fees, jail, probation etc., are figured in.

Law enforcement is so afraid they'll lose revenue generated from legalized marijuana that the DEA got NINE former chiefs to oppose it.

At least one organization called Law Enforcement Against Prohibition which is made up of former law enforcement agents, cops, police chiefs supports legalizing marijuana and ending America's war on drugs.

Risk assessments are being used to sentence people to jail and death

image credit: upworthy

 

States are trying to reduce prison populations with secretive, new psychological assessments to predict which inmates will commit future crimes and who might be safe to release, despite serious problems and high-profile failures.

Fred Osher, who heads the behavioral health division of the Council of State Governments’ Justice Center said: “We do not have the capability to predict violent actions.”

"Arrest and incarceration,” Osher continued, “are not an acceptable substitute for providing an individual with appropriate care.”

Five things to know about risk assessment surveys:

THEY COULD BE USED IN A COURT SYSTEM NEAR YOU: Dozens of different surveys are being used across the country. The surveys vary in the kinds of questions asked and how they are used. Largely confined to parole and probation decisions, these surveys are increasingly being used for sentencing.

IT'S A SECRET: The survey results — and in some cases the actual survey questions — are clouded in secrecy. Some states never release the evaluations, shielding government officials from being held accountable for decisions that affect public safety.

100 QUESTIONS: Some of the surveys can include more than 100 questions and explore a defendant's education, family, income, job status, history of moving, parents' arrest history, or whether he or she has a phone. A score is affixed to each answer and the result helps shape how the defendant will be supervised in the system.

HONEST CRIMINALS: Many of the surveys rely on criminals to tell the truth, though jurisdictions do not always check to make sure the answers are accurate. Something as basic as the age of an offender's first arrest could have an impact on the risk score.

PUNISHED FOR BEING POOR: Some of these surveys have the potential to punish people for being poor or uneducated by attaching a lower risk to those who have steady work and high levels of education.

image credit: upworthy

According to the Marshall Project "Pennsylvania is on the verge of becoming one of the first states in the country to base criminal sentences not only on what crimes people have been convicted of, but also on whether they are deemed likely to commit additional crimes."
 
"Risk assessments have existed in various forms for a century, but over the past two decades, they have spread through the American justice system, driven by advances in social science. The tools try to predict recidivism — repeat offending or breaking the rules of probation or parole — using statistical probabilities based on factors such as age, employment history and prior criminal record."

They are now used at some stage of the criminal justice process in nearly every state. Many court systems use the tools to guide decisions about which prisoners to release on parole, for example, and risk assessments are becoming increasingly popular as a way to help set bail for inmates awaiting trial.

Threat assessments are being used in Texas and many other states...

“In Texas, the determination of who lives and who dies is based on predictions of future dangerousness that have been renounced as unreliable and without scientific validity by the leading mental health associations,” said Andrea Keilen, Deputy Director of Texas Defender Service.

“The integrity of the Texas sentencing scheme is on par with medieval trials by ordeal. We would do just as well to drop people in boiling water to see whether they float” Keilen said.

* Click here & here to find out more about Texas's risk assessment program.
* Click here & here to read about California's risk assessment program.
* Click here & here to read about New York's risk assessment program.
* Click here & here to read about Florida's risk assessment program.
 
The American Psychiatric Association wrote an amicus brief explaining no one can predict with any degree of reliability that an individual will commit crimes in the future:

“The unreliability of psychiatric predictions of long-term future dangerousness is by now an established fact within the profession.” The Association continues to urge that expert psychiatric testimony on future dangerousness be deemed inadmissible at capital sentencing hearings. 

“There are strong reasons to question the accuracy of predictions of violence made by prosecution experts in capital murder trials. It seems impossible to reconcile the glaring inaccuracy of the predictions made by these experts with the requirement that death sentences be meted out in a non-capricious manner,” said Dr. John Edens. “It is incumbent on mental health experts to avoid engaging in fraudulent testimony that is lacking in any meaningful scientific foundation.”

"Psychiatric predictions based on hypothetical situations sometimes bear more resemblance to medieval fortune-telling than to modern scientific techniques."

NYPD to Launch Future Crime Unit:

The NYPD announced that it would begin a two-year pilot program using predictive policing software called HunchLab, which is produced by Azavea and currently used by the Miami Police Department.

NYPD Police Commissioner William Bratton is a key figure at the heart of predictive policing, a technology still in its infancy and questionable in its efficacy but used by an increasing number of law enforcement agencies across the country.

UCLA’s P. Jeffrey Brantingham and police commissioner William Bratton have monetized the software through PredPol Inc., which he helped found. PredPol has sold its software to dozens of police departments around the world.

In 2008, Bratton at the LAPD began working with the acting directors of the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the National Institute of Justice (NJI) to explore the concept of predictive policing in crime prevention.

FYI, Bratton is also the Vice Chairman of the Homeland Security Advisory Council in other words DHS is behind predictive policing!

In 2010, LAPD received a $3 million grant from the NIJ to develop "intelligence-led policing" practices, including crime-prediction methods. FYI, the NIJ works closely with DHS.

The Dept. of Justice (DoJ) and the Pretrial Justice Institute (PJI) wrote a B.S. study claiming pretrial assessments are scientifically valid and called it "State of the Science of Pretrial Risk Assessment."

Below are a few excerpts from the study:

"The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is committed to assisting local jurisdictions as they strive to meet national, evidence-based standards on pretrial release. As part of this commitment, the Bureau convened leading researchers and professionals in the field of pretrial justice to discuss the efficacy and implementation of pretrial risk assessment. The purpose of the meeting was to determine how best to successfully assist local systems in the development and use of an evidence-based approach to pretrial justice. This document raises many questions and issues worthy of further investigation and study, but it also demystifies much of the misunderstandings involved in the development and application of these useful tools." 

Is this a joke? There are numerous scientific articles saying pre-crime assessments are B.S. so why are they claiming it's scientific? It's all about money, EVERYONE in the criminal justice system profits by keeping 2.5 million Americans behind bars!

FYI, the BJA is part of the DoJ which has close ties to DHS.

"Our thanks to the Pretrial Justice Institute (PJI) for organizing the meeting and continually supporting the use of validated pretrial risk assessments in every jurisdiction and the National Institute of Justice for its participation in this meeting."

The PJI has close ties to DHS, their new Executive Director and Chairman of The Board Fanno Burdeen used to work for DHS. PJI's Director Emeritus Timothy Murray used to work with DHS and the TSA.

If one had any hopes of an unbiased study about pretrial criminal assessments they've just gone out the cell door!

Question: Why does the NACDL, ACLU, Innocence Project etc., support pretrial assessment sentencing?

image credit: Pretrial Justice Institute

The PJI Survey results indicate that objective pretrial risk assessment instruments are increasingly being used by jurisdictions across the country.

The PJI survey found that of those pretrial programs that do risk assessment, 42% report having developed their risk assessment procedures based on research done in their own jurisdictions on the factors that are related to pretrial misconduct, and about one third adapted their risk assessments from other jurisdictions.

So to recap, the DoJ thinks its fine for states to make up their own risk assessments which are used to sentence or kill defendants!

Survey results indicate that 48% of pretrial programs have never validated their instruments, a statistic that has remained unchanged from 2001 to 2009. One concern, however, is that there is no standard method being used for the “validation of a risk assessment instrument.”

I'm trying not to vomit as the DOJ and the PJI admitted there are no national standards for risk assessments and 50% of the assessment programs have never been validated, what about the entire pretrial assessment program? It's all junk science and we shouldn't trust them to look out for defendants rights!

"Pretrial risk assessment is the determination of a quantitative or qualitative value of risk related to a pretrial defendant and his or her specific circumstances, and the first step in the risk management process. Risk management means balancing the constitutional rights of the defendant with the risk the defendant poses using effective supervision and strategic interventions."

The American Police State is assessing our homes, students and much more:

American students from kindergarten through college are being given THREAT ASSESSMENTS.
American students are also being given MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS.
Americans travelling inside the country are being given RISK ASSESSMENTS.
Americans homes are being given COLOR CODED THREAT RATINGS (ASSESSMENTS).

"There are more than 60 risk assessment tools in use across the U.S., and they vary widely."

 

"Risk assessments in their simplest form, they are questionnaires — typically filled out by a jail staff member, probation officer or psychologist — that assign points to offenders based on anything from demographic factors to family background to criminal history. The resulting scores are based on statistical probabilities derived from previous offenders’ behavior. A low score designates an offender as “low risk” and could result in lower bail, less prison time or less restrictive probation or parole terms; a high score can lead to tougher sentences or tighter monitoring."
 

For more information on how anyone can be murdered by the state for future crimes read "Psychiatric Prediction of Future Dangerousness." and "Danger at the Edge of Chaos: Predicting Violent Behavior in A Post-Daubert World